Under the brutal oppression of the Gothir, the Nadir tribes dream of the Uniter, the Great One, who will bring the tribes together, and end their centuries of torment.

But for one man it is more than a dream. Talisman, a mysterious and enigmatic Nadir warrior, rides out to the Shrine of Oshikai Demon-bane, seeking the legendary eyes of Alchazzar, twin jewels of enormous power that will light the path to the Uniter. With him rides the beautiful Zhusai, a mystic tormented by the ghost of a long-dead Nadir queen.

But others desire the secret of the jewels.

Garen-Tsen, the sadistic power behind the Gothir throne, believes the magical gems will lead him to glory, and sends the elite soldiers of the Gothir army to sack the Shrine and defeat the few defenders. They cannot lose: five thousand men against a handful of savages and a renegade Drenai warrior.

But the savages are led by one of the most brilliant strategists of the day. And the renegade is Druss the Legend.